Morning Train Delays Blamed On Power Problems

STATE – Delays that snarled the morning commute for thousands of passengers on the Northeast Corridor were blamed on power problems, according to a statement from NJ Transit.

At approximately 7:45 a.m., Amtrak reported a low-voltage condition on the Northeast Corridor in New Jersey. As a precaution, NJ Transit held all trains that operate on the Northeast Corridor, including some North Jersey Coast Line trains, until the power problem could be resolved.

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Midtown Direct trains were routed to Hoboken, instead of New York, where PATH trains were honoring rail tickets and passes, according to the transit agency. Similarly, customers on the Main, Bergen County, Port Jervis and Pascack Valley lines who normally transfer at Secaucus were advised to remain on their trains to Hoboken for PATH service, as well.

To provide Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast Line customers with alternate travel options, cross-honoring was established with NJ Transit buses and private carrier bus lines, light rail, as well as PATH service from 33rd Street, Newark and Hoboken, enabling customers to use their rail tickets and passes on those services at no additional charge.

The low-voltage problem lasted until 8:45 a.m., when Amtrak reported that the power problem had been corrected and trains were able to resume operating on the Northeast Corridor, subject to delays of 60-90 minutes until 9:45 a.m. Midtown Direct trains continued to operate to/from Hoboken until 9:45 a.m. to avoid delays and congestion at New York Penn Station.

Amtrak is working to determine the underlying cause of today’s outage. They have advised NJ Transit that the issue appears to have originated at a power generating station outside Philadelphia.